Good, bad and ugly. Ishapore 2a/2a1.
Good, Bad and Ugly. Ishapore 2a/2a1.
I have decided to dive into the Ishapore 2a and 2a1. The reason for the Ishapore is personal and economic . I purchased many of these weapons. Now I am ready to start. However, there are some good things that come from such an endeavor that you in our community can benefit from my missteps. One is a carbine. I let my son shoot my #5 and he loved it, so, I purchased an Ishapore for him. I will let him decide how to care for that one. Secondly, two of the Ishapores are matching down even to the wood. For the purists those will be cleaned, reconditioned and left as is (ugly paint and all). That leaves four to five more.
What to do now. I think I will parkerize one, blue one and duracoat one. Then the others will get the treatment I like best.
Parts? I have scoured the internet. I may have not reached the end, but, I am close. Good thing that about 80% of the parts are interchangeable with the #3.
1. About 30% of the screws that I purchased for replacement have the ability to work. Be careful while testing them out as not to bugger up the threads and pieces. Springfield Sporter, obsolete screws and Ebay were the best, although, not always the cheapest way to go. You get what you pay for applies. The specialty guys at EDF in England sold me their last sets. Plan to have left overs.
2. Although all my guns have good headspace. Note a good set of gauges go a long way. These are old battle rifles and need to be inspected completely to shoot. I purchased from Ebay bolt heads. These are #3. Not all of them work. The slotted ones worked every time. The unslotted ones, only one worked out of five (lucky?). Springs, mine are all good. From other threads the #3’s work. Extractor claws are different due to being rimless. Have not looked at markings to see if they are similar to the Ishapores.
3. With one bad safety. I purchased a #3. It worked, but I cannot say doing only one that that will be the case every time. Washer and springs worked every time, however, most, if not all safeties have #3 markings where my Ishapores do not.
4. The butt. The butt stock is shaped different. Why? I do not know, however, thread speculation is that it was because it shoots the NATO round. Could be just what their factory could put out at the time. I will try fitting up a #3 to see if it fits. Therefore, the butt plate is different. The easiest way to tell in a photo is the screw for the door is tapped all the way thru. The screws attaching the butt plates are very different from the #3. #3 screws will not work. I think Fastenal or some other similar store is in the plan. The metal is pot/alloy. It deforms and catches the screw head. The first one I took off I did not realize this and stripped it out of the wood. Probably why a lot have patches in this area. Soft wood, use and penning over. Wad washer is leather just like #3’s. The screw has a round tips, some with machining holes and some without. #3’s have these styles, but some have square thread ends. I believe if you use a square end remove the forestock before removing the stock bolt to avoid cracking the forestock. One came with an oiler, plastic.
More to come.
